Golf-ball-cleaning device



Feb. 12, 1929.

H. D. DAY

cow BALL CLEANING DEVICE Original Filed March 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l M m 7 a m. w a a a Feb. 12, 1929. 7 1,702,203

' H. D. DAY

GOLF BALL CLEANING DEVICE Original Filed March 29, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 rli/ INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 12, 1929. v 1,702,203v

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HOWARD D. DAY, OI PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

GOLF-BALL-GLEANING DEVICE.

Application fllefl larch 29, 1927, Serial ll'o. 179,319. Renewed November 8, 1928.

This invention relates to an improved desame mechanism with the foot lever and its vice for cleaning golf balls and other similar connected parts in raised position. articles; and has for its object to provide a Figure 8 is an end view showing the con device of this character WhlCh comprises esnecting guide rods and one of the operating sentially a casing having means for supportguide rolls.

ing the ball to be cleaned within it; also it is Figure 9 is a detail showing the guide rods provided with means for directing a mixture as yieldably connected together by a spring. of water and another cleaning substance In playing the game of golf the balls used against the ball when in the receptacle become soiled and require to be often cleaned 1 'A further object of the invention is the in order that they may be more easily found,

provisionof an elevator for loweringthe ball especially when eing driven into the rough into the casing, directing the cleaning maand to this end I have provided a sim la and terial under pressure against the surface of effective ball cleaning device adapte to be the ball while retained in the casing. set near the tee or other convenient place, 15 A still further object of the invention is it being only necessary to deposit a ball in th the provision of a sand reoeptacle in the casdevice and press downwardly a foot lever mg and means within the casing whereby the which carries the ball into the head or casing flow of water will take up the sand and force of the machine, closes the opening through the mixture against the ball while in the caswhich the ball has entered and admit water 20 ing. pressure to clean the ball, all by a single move- The invention still further consists in the talent of the foot lever. After this cleanin provision of an elevator for lowering the ball pperation is com leted and the lever release into the casing, the elevator being also arthe elevator or tiiat movable device supportranged to close the opening through which" ing the ball is automatically returned to 2 the ball \enters the casing and the provision raised or normal position to open the lid and of manually operable means for opening a present the cleaned ball to the player; and valve and permitting water under pressure the following is a detailed description of the to enter and mix with other cleaning material present embodiment of my invention and to be forced against the'ball to clean it. showing one construction of ball cleaning de- 30 With these and other objects in view, the vice by which these advantageous results may invention consists of certain novel features be accomplished I of construction, as will be more fully de- With reference t th d i 10 d i scribed, and particularly pointed out in the mite the base plate of the machine, which the appended claims; 7 7 ma be bolted to a concrete or other base 11 35 In the accompanymg drawingsz ig e 1 is a Sectional B1%Vat}0nh0W- preferably formed in the ground near the ing my improved ball cleaning device 111- opt f a lf course Thi b l t 10 crating position.

Figure 2 is a view showing the head portion of which is the head ortion 14 which comwhich may be built over a well or space 12 ports a tubular column 13 on the upper end 40 of the device partly in section and in raised or ri es a casing 15 in w ichigmounted and 9 5 in p i e positlon to receive ballrece tacle 16, thelbody portion of which may Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the be ormed of screen wire or other suitable head with the parts in operatingposition with perforated material having mesh or opensand being forced against the ball by water ings fine enough to retain the sand therein, I 45 pressure. p 7 the openings being adapted to permit excess Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the nozzle water to drain from the sand. This recepthrough which water is forced and caused to tacle is mounted on a base plate 17 which is draw sand, the flow of which serves to draw screwed upon the threaded u per end of the '7 in the same and force the mixture against the water supply pipe. Within t s receptacle is to ball to clean it. p mounted a. nozzle member 19, as best illuse Figure 5 is an enlarged section on line 5-5 trated in Figure 4, which is constructed with of Figure 1. v 0 an outer tube 20 having a reduced 0 ning 21 j Figure-6 is a top viewof the valve and opernear its upper end and a plurality o openings atin mechanism; 22 through its s1de wall near t e lower end 55 Figure 7 is a side elevation showing the thereof communicating with the sand recepuo tacle 16. Within this tubular member is a smaller jet tube 23 which is threaded as at 25 into the upper end of the water pipe 18, whereby the column of water flowing from the jet tube through the contracted opening 21 in the outer tube serves to create a partial vacuum to draw in the sand through openings 22 to mix with the water and be projected against the surface of the ball to clean it.

This casing 15 is provided with a top member 26 having a central opening .27. This member has an annular groove 28 which may support a number of balls either before or after cleaning and this groove is provided with drip holes 29 to prevent the water collecting in the groove. In order to provide a suitable support for the ball 30 to be cleaned, I have constructed a collar member 31 having a central opening 32 therethrough with a raised seat portion '33 thereon onto which the ball 30 to be cleaned isdeposited. This seat collar member is mounted on a pair of vertically movable operating guide-rods 34 which extend up from the base of the machine through the tubes 35 in the sand receptacles. On the upper end of these tubes 35 is supported a rest collar 36.

These guide rods 34 are arranged to extend up through the ball seat collar a distance a little greater than the diameter of the olf ball and on the upper ends of these gui e rods is supported a closing lid mem- \ber 37, which when lowered engages the rubber washer 28 and is adapted to close the central opening 27 in the topmember or head plate 26. I

In addition to the guide rods 34 another set of rods 39 slidable in the tubes 40 may be employed to better support the elevator parts.

This ball-supporting mechanism which may be raised and lowered to drop the ball into the casing to be cleaned and subsequently lifted is conveniently termed an elevator and in order to operate this elevator device man, ually, I have provided at the lower end of the column a foot lever 41 which is pivoted on either side at 42 to this column 13 and on the under side of the end of the lever is pivoted -a rod 43 which extends down through and is connected to the crossbar 44. The lower end 45 of this rod being arranged to engage the valve stem 46 of the valve 47 to press the same inward and admit water through the pipe 48 and the central riser pipe 18. This-crossbar 44 is connected to t e guide rods 34 on either side of the water lpipe 18, see Figure 8, which cooperate with t 0 guide hangers. 50 and 51 and with-a pair of guide rolls 49 to a support this cross bar 44 in alignment and seat has been lowered Into operating position, to

I have connected the upper and lower portions of these rods 34 y means of coiled springs 53 whereby the rods are permitted to extend after such seating and permit a sufficiently further movement of the foot lever to open the valve and admit the water pressure.

In order to provide simple and efiective means to balance the weightof the guide rods and elevator parts, and return the elevator parts to normal after having been forced down by the foot lever, I have rovided a counterweight 54 which is guide vertically on the dependent short pipe or rod 58 and which weight is connected through the lazy tongs arrangement of levers 55 at the point 56 to either side of the cross bar 44, the lazy tongs being also pivotally connected at 57 to the pipe fitting tee 59, whereby when the foot lever 14 is released this counterweight 54 act.- ing through the lazy ton s 55 serves to lift the closure lid 37 to its otted position and also lifts the ball seat, to pass the ball out through this opening and present it in a cleaned condition to the user the operation being as follows The ball is deposited upon its seat 31 when in position illustrated in,Figure 2, the foot which causes the ball to lift from its seatand rotate as it bounds about upon its seat.

31 and the under portion 60 of the lid, the splashin of the water and the sand is confined wit in the casing 15, the annular collar member 61 preventin the sand and water from spreading radially causes the sand to drop back into its receptacle 16 to be used over and over again, while the lighter dirt or mud washed from the ball will flow ofi through the larger openings62' at the upper edge of the sand receptac e. By means of this flood of water the sand or quartz is kept reasonably clean and "the mud or lighter parts are carried ofi with the surplus water which flows downwardly through the hollow column 13 and is deposited in the well 12 or conducted away through the sewer byany means for convenient arrangement of iping (not shown). Upon releasing the oot lever 41 the valve 47 is permitted to close and the elevator and closure lid 37 is raised by action of the weight 54 thru the lazy tong 55' and rodsy.

The foregoing description is directed sole- 1 towards the construction illustrated, but I esire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege of resortingl to all the mechanical changes to which the evice is susceestible, the invention being defined and limit only by the terms of the appended claims.

I claim: 1 1; In a golf ball cleaner, a casing, means for retaining a ball in the casing, said retaining 'means permittingmovement of said ball, a

closure for the casing, andmeans for directing a mixture of water and another cleaning material against the ball to clean the same. i

2. In a golf ball'cleaner, a casing, a receptacle for a cleaning material in the easing, means for retaining a ball in the casing, said retaining means permitting movement of said ball,'and means for admitting and .di-

rectin water under pressure mixed with said c eanin material against the ball.

3. In'a golf ball cleaner, a casing havin a sand rece tacle thcrein,'means for retaining a ball in tlie casing, said retainin 7 meanspermitting movement of said ,ba I, manually operable means for admitting a ressure of water, and means in the casing or causing [the sand to mix with the water and then directing the mixture against the ball to clean the same.

4. In a golf ball cleaner, a casing, a ball support comprising an elevator device for lowerin a ball into the casing and subsequently lifting the ball from the casing, and Eplying a f'et of cleaning fluid for cleaning t e ball whi e in the casing.

5. In a golf ball cleaner, a casing, a ball support comprising an elevator arranged tosubsequently open the casing and 1i and the ball therefrom, and means forsub'ectin the lower a ball into and close the cam ball to .a jet'of' cleaning materi w e in thecasingq 6. In a golf ball cleaner,a casing, a ball support comprising an elevator arranged to the mixture "lower a ball into and close the casin and sub sequent-1y ,open the casing and 1i the, ball therefrom, a receptacle r cleaning mate--- rial in the casin and means formixing the cleaning materia with water and roj ecting againstthe ball while in (the casing. e

lnagolfballcleaningmachin 7.

alid therefor, a nozzle in said casing, an elea ball, and manual.

vator for supportin e elevator to lower the,-

means' for operating I ballinto said to closethe lid, said operating means also admitti water to said nozzle to be projected onto t e ball within the casm v8. In a golf ball cleaner, a casing, a lid therefor, an elevator for supporting a ball and operating said lid, means or moving the elevator to lower the ball into the casing and to close the lid, a conduit for supplying water to said casing, a valve therein, said means a serving to control said valve for the admissionof water to be directed against the'ball and means for moving the elevator toraise the lid and ball and permit the valve to close and shut off the water.

9'. In a golf ball cleaner, a casing, a lid therefor, an elevator for lowering a ball into and lifting the ball the manually-operating means is 10. In a golf ball cleaner, acasing, a lid therefor, an elevator for supporting a ball and operating said lid, means or moving the elevator to lower the ball into the casing and to close the lid, a conduit for supplying water to said casing, a valve therein, said means also serving to control said valveforthe admission of water to be directed against the ball, and

a counter balancing wei ht for returning the elevator parts to raise the cleaned ball to'the 'o ator and to permit said valve to close and ut ofi the admission of water.

position to present I 11. In a golf ball'cleaner, a casing, a as therefor,an elevator for loweringa ball into the casing, means for supplying water to said casing, a control valve for said sup ly means, means for manuall lowering elevator, closing said-lid an o said valve in a single operation and means or automatically these parts to normal when re,

12. In a golfball cleaner, a a

reee ein-the ,ahdforthecasmg,

an e evator for lowering a ball into the casing,

an injector device for causing the sand from said receptacle to mix with water under-pres v V sure, a'va lve for controlling theflow of water and manuall operable means. for lowering the casing, osing saidlid and openin'gsai valve toadmit the water a be driven with thesand the ball, and means for allof tibn; y 'In testimony WAR D ese tonormal after each o perawhereofmj 

